Žičeń/Seitschen – the Identity Problem of a Lusatian Village and its Name (Did Thietmar von Merseburg know it, name it?)

Abstract

Žičeń/Seitschen – the Identity Problem of a Lusatian Village and its Name (Did Thietmar von Merseburg know it, name it?)

The controversial question of whether the Upper Lusatian village of Žičeń/Seitschen can be historically identical with the castles <Sciciani>, <Ciani>, <Cziczani> and <Schizani> mentioned in medieval historical documents – including the famous chronicle of Thiet­mar von Merseburg – is discussed once again. This study deals with linguistic and also non-linguistic arguments that were recently put forward in Lětopis by Karlheinz Hengst in favour of the thesis that the mentioned place names can be definitively separated from the traditional handing down of  the name Žičeń. In this article, the written forms of the „<Sciciani> group“ are analyzed anew. Alternative suggestions for their etymology are presented. Partially deviating significantly from previous research, the part of the name history of Žičeń that is generally recognized as undoubtedly proven is also explained anew with detailed documentation of previous research.